(POV: Zoro)
I blink myself awake as the clamor on the deck grows to an extremely annoying intensity.
"What are you saying?" Nami asks. "What was in that letter?"
"I found out why the World Government is after me," Jun answers quickly.
"She did say she would leave as soon as she finds out why," Robin comments.
"Eh?!" Usopp exclaims. "How'd you find out so fast?"
"Don't go yet, Jun-chan," Nami pleads. "Can you tell me what's going on?"
She smiles, her eyes remaining sullen. "You guys are all amazing and genuine people. My goal is different from yours. I must bring down the Celestial Dragons and the heads of the Navy. For my family."
"And how do you plan on doing that all by yourself?" Jinbei asks.
"I don't. I'm going to the Revolutionary Army. My brother is there."
Usopp raises an eyebrow. "Oi, didn't you say you lost your whole family?"
A determined voice cuts in. "No."
We all turn to Luffy. His eyes fix on Jun. His hand rests on his hat while the draft blows gently with the soft ocean waves.
That's the look in his eyes she was talking about last night. I've seen it all the time.
Jun stares at him in awe. "Huh?"
"No," he repeats.
Nami smacks him. "She heard you the first time! She just doesn't know what you mean by that!"
"Ah, really?" He asks. "Then, Jun... I don't want you to leave. You're staying here."
"Huh?!" She strides to him, raising her voice. "Didn't you just hear what I said? Your goals don't align with mine. It doesn't make sense for me to stay here anymore."
He laughs with a loud "shishishi" before grinning stupidly. "I know. But I want you to stay here."
"You heard the captain," I finally say.
Every head turns to me.
I stand up and walk to her and Luffy. "I'm not sure how you bounty hunters do things, but here, you can't just walk in and make yourself at home for a few days, then walk out when it's convenient. If you decide to do that, you're no better than the lowly pirates you used to hunt."
She holds my gaze like she's done all the times before, looking up farther as I walk closer.
"And don't bring up the 'different goals' bullshit. Everyone here has a different goal. We all act and think independently here. We're a pirate group. Not a sports team."
Her eyes widen ever so slightly, hesitation flickering in her stare.
"Luffy wants to become the King of the Pirates. My goal isn't to make him one," I continue. "My goal is to become the world's greatest swordsman. You don't base your actions off of other people's will."
I pause, letting my words hang in the air to dry.
"And, you still owe me that damn fight."
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(POV: Juniper) - Present
'Don't base your actions on other people's will'? Is it bad to do something for your family? Is it bad to be selfless?
Zoro turns away. "Even pirates have a moral code. Don't forget that."
The rest of the crew eyes me uneasily, waiting for a decision. Zoro is already climbing up to the crow's nest. He's said what he had to say.
"N-no one's forcing you to stay here and be a pirate with us," Nami says awkwardly. "But you're exhausted. And I don't know what's in that letter, but perhaps you shouldn't make a decision too fast from what you just read."
"You're Observation Haki's neat," Luffy adds. "You have to teach me some of that."
Sanji curses. "That shitty swordsman. I outta beat him up for speaking to a woman like that."
"Are you guys okay with me staying here?" I finally ask.
Brook shrugs. "Why not, Juniper-san?"
"You're not bothering anyone," Robin chimes in. "You've been a big help."
"We're ready to help you with anything you need, Jun-chan," Sanji says.
I pause, trying to process everything that's calculating in my head.
Usopp sighs. "We're in the middle of the sea anyway. You can't get to the Revolutionary Army even if you wanted to."
"Okay! That settles it!" Luffy exclaims.
And just like that, everyone spreads out and continues their activities like the problem had been completely - and permanently - solved.
I draw my gaze back up to the crow's nest. The soreness in my arms and back is still there, but the pain feels oddly amazing. I feel the rushing urge to do more.
But can I really enjoy working out with a pissed-off Pirate Hunter breathing down my neck?
"He's not mad at you."
I look back at Nami. She nods.
"He just doesn't have a kind way to express himself," she continues. "It's just who he is."
I direct my attention to the letter in my hand, then shove it into my shorts pocket. Either way, I need to get stronger to be able to fight the Navy and the World Government. My Observation Haki makes me unbeatable, but it doesn't help me beat others.
I'm leaving here whether the crew likes it or not. I'm not a pirate. I was just supposed to be a bounty hunter. And through the Revolutionary Army, I can exact my revenge on the world government.
And I get to see Tal again.
I ball up a fist and start my climb up the net hanging along the mast. As soon as I reach the ladder directly below the crow's nest, a sword drops down. I catch it.
"We're sparring," he states firmly when I fully enter the room.
"In this small area?"
"That's right."
He places a bunch of weights next to each other in a circle with no more than a 2-meter radius. I inspect the sword he gave me.
"This is..."
"The Sandai Kitetsu," he answers.
"What are you doing with a cursed sword?"
"What are you doing with a broken sword?"
I bite back any insults ready to launch out of my mouth and step into the circle.
"Is this going to be a one-sword match?" I ask.
"Yeah." He sets Shusui aside and unsheathes what looks to be the Wado Ichimonji. "Whoever steps out of the circle first loses. Or whoever gets a blade pointed at their neck first."
"Simple enough. But I would like to add one more rule if that's okay."
"What is it?"
I unsheathe the Sandai Kitetsu. "You get to use only Observation Haki. I get to use only Armament Haki."
A grin plays along his lips. "I'm fine with that."
He steps into the circle. We each adjust our grip on the sword, ready to play our weaknesses against each other. My Armament Haki isn't the strongest, but it all depends on whether I'm better at it than he is at Observation Haki.
I let him charge at me with his first attack. He comes with a quick swing from my left side. I barely dodge into a crouch.
His sword is coming at me once again, even faster than before. I fall on my back and watch the blade swipe inches above my face.
Sparring? This guy is seriously trying to kill me.
I hook my foot around his ankle to knock him off balance, but it remains firmly planted on the ground. He must have predicted my intentions. He swings at me right from above, where I'm completely exposed.
I block it with my sword, coating it with enough Armament Haki so that Zoro's Wado Ichimonji bounces off the blade. Even so, he maintains his balance and regains his grip on the sword while I spring to an offensive stance.
However, before I can get an attack on him, he swings at me from the right side. I stumble back and I hear the blade swipe right by my stomach. While I'm off balance, he lunges at me.
I jump, reeling both my legs back and coating them with Armament Haki. He predicts the action just in time to block my two-footed kick with his sword. The force sends him sliding to the edge of the circle.
"Shit," he whispers, spreading his arms out to keep himself upright.
I fall on my back again and stand up immediately. Because I was off balance, I wasn't able to get that much momentum on my kick. Zoro's monstrous speed and Observation Haki combined are extremely hard to deal with.
However, in all my years of predicting my opponents' movement, I often didn't need Observation Haki to take people down. Sometimes, knowing how they think and understanding their habits will do the trick.
And from his previous movements, I can compile a few things about his habits.
We recover at the same time. I charge at him with my Haki-coated blade, but he avoids it easily and spins behind my back. On instinct, I kick right my leg back, forcing him to duck down.
Damnit. I miscalculated.
Now I'm exposed, standing on only one foot while he has the upper hand. Before his sword meets my ankle, I coat my right leg with Armament Haki and drop it down on his shoulder. At the last millisecond, he blocks it with his bare arm while cutting me in my calf. Because I interrupted his attack, it only cuts about an inch deep.
I bite down on my lip until it bleeds. A drop trails down my chin.
"Hey!" I yell. "What's the big deal? Are you trying to ki-"
He rams into me with his shoulder, tipping me off my stance and sending me skidding outside the circle.
He has both monstrous speed and monstrous strength.
But I'm not going down alone.
I coat my hand with Haki and grab his sword. In one firm yank, I pull him out of the circle with me. We land on the floor at the same time.
He falls on top of me but plants his elbows on either side of my head before we make contact. For a second, I feel his hot breath on my face as he pants heavily, and it's met with my labored breaths. I catch a glimpse of the sweat glistening on his skin and the look in his eyes.
At such a close look, I realize his eyes are a cold gray, but now, they're set ablaze with something I can't pinpoint. Is it anger? Frustration? Bloodlust?
He immediately rolls over to one side of me and collapses on his back. He grips his bruised arm, gritting his teeth.
I feel the warmth of my blood pool around my calf as the leg warmer collects it like a bowl would with rainwater. I rest my head on the hard floor and close my eyes.
"You cut my damn calf," I grumble.
"And you dropped your Haki-coated leg on my arm," Zoro snaps back. "I thought you were going to coat your left calf to protect yourself."
"You would've known what I was about to do if you used your Observation Haki properly."
"You were doing it on instinct. It's hard to predict when things are moving fast."
I guess it would have been more practical if I coated my left calf to prevent injury. But if that were the case, I wouldn't have been able to get a solid hit on him. If I don't attack, how can I win?
Either way, I should have been able to coat both my left and right leg. I have nothing to blame but my weak Armament Haki.
"How long are you going to let that bleed out?" He asks.
"I'm fine."
"Your whole leg warmer is red now."
He sits up and scoots closer to me. "You gotta stop the bleeding."
"It'll stop eventually," I remark.
"Juniper."
Slight unease settles into my stomach at the call of my full name. His hand hovers over the leg warmer, but it doesn't inch any closer. He stares at me.
The goosebumps forming on my skin feel odd this time with the hot and humid afternoon settling in. The last time anyone saw those scars was when that shitty old man shook the leg warmers off me.
But if I'm to take on the Navy and the World Government, I can't allow myself to have weaknesses. I'm too vulnerable right now.
Although hesitantly, I give him the nod of approval. As he slips off the leg warmer, I sit up and watch the blood coat my big scars like paint oozing down a rough wall.
His expression softens at the sight.
I take the leg warmer, bunch it up, and press it against the fresh cut.
"This is what you've been hiding?" He asks softly.
"Yeah." I exhale. "What? You thought I had some obvious dark leg hairs?"
He cringes. "That would have been worse. Like that pervert cook's ugly leg hairs."
I chuckle. "Oh, come on, that's just how some people are."
"Sure. But I wouldn't take someone like you to be like that."
I shrug. "Well even if I did have dark leg hairs, nothing can grow on this hopeless skin anymore."
A moment passes.
He continues staring at them. "Who in the world... did this to you?"
I take a deep breath. "Just some sick guy I don't even remember the name of. A while ago."
My eyes fall on his chest. He's wearing a white T-shirt, but I can slightly see the outline of the massive scar running across his torso.
"There's a scar underneath there. I've seen it before. Who did that?"
He sighs. "Mihawk. A while back. He owes me another fight, too."
"Surprised you got away with just that."
"He let me live."
"Hm. I can see why."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing," I mutter. "Can I borrow that bottle?"
I gesture to the sake stowed on the opposite side of the room. It follows him everywhere he goes.
He gets up and retrieves the bottle. "You sure? Your alcohol tolerance is about equal to that of a kid's."
I snatch it away from his hand. "Appreciate the insight."
I pour the alcohol right into the oozing gap, hissing loudly as the biting burn intensifies tenfold.
"Oi, what are you doing?" He snatches the bottle back. "You need to go to Chopper to treat that. You can't just pour sake-"
I shoot him a glower. "I don't want the others to see this. Not yet."
His eyes dart from my face to my cut. He sighs softly.
"Fine," he manages. "I'll go down to Chopper's office and get bandages then."
He stands up once more and climbs down the ladder.
"Thank you," I whisper, despite him being long gone.